Birth: NULL/NULL/1929 Death:NULL/NULL/1994
Born in Nazareth on 7 May 1929; schooled in Nazareth then studied Political Economy and Soviet Literature in Moscow from 1962-64; returned home and became a member of the New Communist List (Rakah), which split from the Israeli Communist Party in 1965; elected Knesset member from 1974-91; elected mayor of Nazareth in the municipal elections of 1975 (the first where mayors were directly elected), heading his own list – the Nazareth Democratic Front; remained mayor of the city until his death; held important positions in the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash); translated Russian literature and the works of Turkish poet Nazem Hikmat; gained popularity for his political activism and his resistance poetry, some of which turned into Palestinian national songs, e.g., Ashuddu ‘ala Ayadikum (I shake your hands in support) (1966); died in a suspicious car accident on 5 July 1994, while returning from a welcoming ceremony for Pres. Yasser Arafat in Jericho.
